Very Rare Example Of Death-mask / Memento Mori Made In Italy In 1857

Very rare example of death-mask / memento mori made in Italy in 1857. It is really difficult to find postmortem portraits, especially in 3 dimensions. to date it is the first known example. an inscription under the base says: "Massimo di Francesco Paolucci and Ginevra Isolani (an ancient family from Bologna - Italy) born 1857 + 1857 at three months old. It is a sculpture made from the cast of the original head. This can be deduced from the presence of the open fountains typical of the child's tender age. the eyes and expression were modified by the sculptor as they were missing in the death masks. delicate and moving work to preserve the memory of a child who lived too little.